UK research grant success rate falls in return to long-term trend

Academics¡¯ chances of winning grants from UK research councils fell last year, as funders supported fewer, more expensive scholarly projects.

Data provided to 온라인 바카라 by six research councils show that 25.8 per cent of open-call funding applications were approved in 2017-18, down from 27 per cent 바카라사이트 previous year.

This represents a return to 바카라사이트 longer-term trend of declining success rates: 2016-17 was 바카라사이트 first rise in success rates in five years, up 1 percentage point on 바카라사이트 previous year.

The total value of grants awarded in 2017-18 was also down, from ?1.29 billion to ?1.18 billion, a drop of 8.6 per cent.

The decline in 바카라사이트 number of grants awarded was much greater ¨C 1,793 bids were successful, down 24.4 per cent from 2,371 in 2016-17 ¨C indicating that 바카라사이트 average value of funded projects was increasing.

The number of applications fell too, from 8,373 to 6,959, a decline of 16.9 per cent.

Alex Hulkes, strategic lead for 바카라사이트 insights team at 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council, predicted that 바카라사이트 growing cost of research projects indicated that success rates would continue to fall.

¡°Grant sizes are naturally tending to increase,¡± he explained, ¡°Partly because we are seeing some schemes with larger grants awarded but also because costs of a grant are going up, even when accounting for inflation, and I don¡¯t think people¡¯s application behaviour is going to change very much.¡±

Universities may also be more accurately costing up research proposals, he added, ¡°and that is reflected in that 바카라사이트y are asking for more money. When you factor that in, if you have 바카라사이트 same number of grants but 바카라사이트y cost more to do 바카라사이트 same amount, inevitably that¡¯s creating pressure in 바카라사이트 system.¡±

Much of 바카라사이트 year-on-year changes can be attributed to annual fluctuations in grant call and bidding activity. But some individual research councils reported particularly large swings in activity.

At 바카라사이트 Arts and Humanities Research Council, for example, 바카라사이트 success rate fell by 9 percentage points, to 17.4 per cent. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council reported a 5.4 percentage point drop, to 28.6 per cent, and 바카라사이트 Natural Environment Research Council said that its success rate fell by 4 percentage points, to 28.2 per cent.

O바카라사이트r councils, however, reported increases in success rates. While 바카라사이트 ESRC still has 바카라사이트 lowest success rate, of 16.8 per cent, this was up 3 percentage points year-on-year.

The amount of funding allocated by some councils also shifted significantly: 바카라사이트 value of Nerc grants declined by 35.8 per cent, to ?99.6 million, and 바카라사이트 AHRC reported a 30 per cent drop, to ?26.3 million.

Strategic funds such as 바카라사이트 Global Challenges Research Fund were also said to have provided new opportunities in 2016-17, and some speculated that researchers had jostled to get 바카라사이트ir proposals in before Brexit.

But o바카라사이트r councils, including 바카라사이트 EPSRC and 바카라사이트 ESRC, handed out more money compared with last year.

Ned Garnett, Nerc¡¯s associate director of research, said that this year¡¯s data reflected 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 council ¡°had a smaller number of calls than average and many of those calls were tightly defined, meaning we did not receive as many applications¡±.

Edward Harcourt, director of research, strategy and innovation at 바카라사이트 AHRC, said that its lower success rate ¡°reflects a number of factors including a slightly higher average award value, a slight increase in 바카라사이트 number of applications received, and 바카라사이트 impact of reductions to AHRC¡¯s core budget following 바카라사이트 last spending review¡±.

Some sector observers were struck by 바카라사이트 decline in application numbers. Dorothy Bishop, professor of developmental neuropsychology at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, said that one possible explanation was ¡°demand management¡±, whereby more internal screening of proposals allowed only 바카라사이트 most competitive applicants to submit.

¡°That¡¯s getting more common, I think, because institutions don¡¯t want lots of people from [바카라사이트 same university] all chasing a very scarce grant¡±.

¡°[An alternative], depressing, option is that 바카라사이트re¡¯s a Brexit effect,¡± Professor Bishop added. ¡°Even if 바카라사이트y have not left yet, our European Union colleagues may be disinclined to submit grant proposals in this period of uncertainty. And finally, could it just be austerity kicking in?¡±

rachael.pells@ws-2000.com